The Tobacco Industry and the First Amendment - An Analysis of the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement

This Note discusses and assesses the Government\u27s likelihood of passing constitutional scrutiny with the Master Settlement Agreement\u27s restrictions in light of the First Amendment case law. A majority of the restrictions will likely pass constitutional scrutiny because they meet the demanding requirements of Central Hudson and its progeny. The author believes that a few of the restrictions need to be more narrowly tailored in order to pass constitutional scrutiny. Suggestions on how to narrowly tailor the restrictions to comport with Central Hudson are proffered by the author. Section II provides an overview of the history of First Amendment commercial speech jurisprudence. It discusses cases that foreshadowed the Central Hudson decision, the Central Hudson decision itself, the progeny of Central Hudson which has slightly refined the original four prong test for commercial speech, and addresses the possible trends in light of the progeny. Section III of the note addresses why the Master Settlement Agreement may have problems passing constitutional scrutiny and what parties may have standing to challenge the provisions. Section IV gives an in-depth look into how the restrictions will fare when analyzed under the Central Hudson four prong test, and individually assesses selected restrictions. Finally, Section V makes suggestions on how the government can cure the restrictions that may be found constitutionally infirm